The Year In Review: The Top 20 Most Popular HODINKEE Posts Of 2015

As the year comes to a close, we would like to take a moment to look back on the top stories posted in 2015. This year was a big one for HODINKEE. We added some new faces and tried some new things, but at the end of the day we just really love watches and want to bring you the best horological stories out there. This year we saw lots of new releases and talked watches with some awesome people. This year's top story comes as no surprise, and Tudor was a clear winner for the most read about brand. Read on to see the other 19 most popular stories of 2015.

As the year comes to a close, we would like to take a moment to look back on the top stories posted in 2015. This year was a big one for HODINKEE. We added some new faces and tried some new things, but at the end of the day we just really love watches and want to bring you the best horological stories out there. This year we saw lots of new releases and talked watches with some awesome people. This year's top story comes as no surprise, but read on to see the other 19 most popular stories of 2015.

I really believe in what independent brands like Max Büsser and Friends (MB&F) are doing, and even more so, what they mean to the industry. Independent watchmaking is practically an entirely different world from those large group-owned brands, and I have long admired what many of them have been able to do, really, against all odds. And that is why today, I am proud to announce that we have partnered with MB&F to create a very special watch, just the way we think you, HODINKEE readers, would like it – 40 mm, with an insanely fine finished in-house movement, limited to 10 pieces, with three straps designed by us. Oh, and for the first time in MB&F's history, this LM101 will be cased in, you guessed it, stainless steel.

Bet you didn't see this coming. And neither did we. You are looking at the Patek Philippe 5524G, or Calatrava Pilot Travel Time. Announced just now, the day before BaselWorld 2015, this watch paints an interesting picture about where Patek Philippe is headed as a brand. It is clear that younger consumers would be the focus for a while now, starting with the 5164A Travel Time Aquanaut, followed up by 2014's 5960A, or Patek's benchmark high-end consumer watch in stainless steel with a decidedly casual vibe, at a very approachable price point (by Patek's standards). The 5524G goes well, well beyond either one of those to create what is clearly a pilot's watch of some kind.

What is the Omega Globemaster? That's a good question, because it's not a name one might be familiar with like the releases from Omega in years past. It does, technically, belong to the Omega Constellation family, though little is being done to tie the two together beyond the historical nod in the form of a pie-pan dial. But what the Globemaster does have is what Omega is claims to be its most advanced mechanical movement, ever.

Over my time in watches, I have been lucky enough to become acquainted with some truly great scholars and collectors. The greatest scholars – the folks that lead our study and interpretation of collectible watches – are often quiet, reserved people who do what they do because they love and want to understand watches for everyone, not for show or ego. The man you are about to meet has been collecting watches for 32 years, he is an American, and until recently, very few outside his closest circle of friends (think Aurel Bacs and John Goldberger) knew his name. He has been quietly amassing a truly world-class collection that will absolutely leave you in shock and awe – he collects only the rarest and only the absolute finest quality. This, our 15th episode, is your official HODINKEE Talking Watches with Jason Singer.

15. Meet The Very First Smartwatch: Behold The HP-01, From Hewlett-Packard

Throwback To The Past: it is 1977, quartz watches are still less than 10 years old; it's the year Star Wars hit theaters for the first time... and you are actually looking at, not a piece of science fiction, but what is nothing less than the most technically advanced wristwatch ever produced. Whether you love or hate what electronics have meant in watchmaking, there's no doubt that the development of electrical and electronic timepieces, from very early electrical pendulum clocks of the early 19th century to the first quartz clocks of the 1920s, to experimental electromechanical watches in the 1950s and '60s, changed horology forever. Today the word "smart watch" is one we all know, but this was the very first of that breed, from nearly 40 years ago. Whatever you may have thought the earliest smart watch was, I bet you were not expecting this marvelously geeky instrument (especially not from a vintage enthusiast who covers your weekly Bring A Loupe!). Let's review, from Hewlett Packard, the intriguing and amazingly sophisticated HP-01.

14. Introducing The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master, In 18k Everose Gold On The New "Oysterflex" Bracelet

At this year's edition of Baselworld, Rolex announced a sporty addition to its Yacht-Master line: a model in 18k Everose gold on the new "Oysterflex" bracelet designed with ergonomics and durability in mind. The model's warm-toned, Everose-gold case features a uniformly-polished surface, offering bright contrast to a matte-black Cerachrom bezel insert and bracelet.

13. Bring A Loupe: Eight Great Watches From A Chronograph Under $500 To A Lange Tourbillon Over $250,000

This week's What's Selling Where roundup doesn't have a theme per se, but is just a mix of eight great watches for sale, from under $500 to over $250,000. The roundup includes a Rolex Commando formerly owned by a long-time editor of Outdoor Life, one of the most desirable Langes ever made, two vintage LeCoultre Deep Sea Alarms, and other solid options.

To put it simply, there is no one that has influenced all of us more in the way that we dress and think about style than Ralph Lauren. What started 40 years ago with one young man from the Bronx with an eye for design has turned into not just a global empire, but also an entire way of thinking – a world that has come to envelop far more than simply the Northeastern preppiness of Polo, but also the urbane chic-ness of the handmade Purple Label and the Southwestern workwear meets Brooklyn aura of RRL. Ralph Lauren's influence reaches far beyond clothes, into home goods and decorations, leather and accessories – each encompassing not a style, but an entire approach to living, one directed completely by Ralph himself. And that is what this story is about – Ralph himself. In this exclusive interview, I sit down with the legendary designer to speak about his own watch collection, and those that he has designed – including the just-released Automotive Skeleton watch, in stores this week – and the very watch that Ralph himself wears the most.

11. The Watch I Wore Most In 2014, By Every Single Member Of The HODINKEE Team

Members of the HODINKEE team are often asked about our personal watch buying and wearing habits. That's understandable – we spend our days around incredible watches, both old and new, and most of us have dedicated not only our careers but also our lives to understanding and appreciating these timepieces. This year, we continue our annual tradition of sharing our watch-wearing habits of the past 12 months. We asked every member of the HODINKEE team, from Kelly, to Blake, to Eric and Will, to Felix and Jason, to Evald, to Paul, to Ben and John Mayer, which watch, out of all the watches they've worn in 2014, they spent the most time with. The answers will tell you a lot about who we all are as watch lovers.

I sometimes wonder, when we post pictures and articles of watches like this, or this, or even this, whether we are not inadvertently creating the impression that we spend most of our time at Chateau Hodinkee alternating between sippin’ Darjeeling on the veranda with our pinkies out, and upbraiding Manservant Jeeves for being slow with the Pol Roger and caviar at teatime. When you’re heavy into mechanical watches there’s a sort of creeping tendency, over the years, to make the unspoken assumption that all other things being equal, you get what you pay for – which is to say, if it’s not expensive it ain’t much. The fact is, though, that really good design, quality in execution, and even real horological charm, to say nothing of a healthy helping of history, can be had for less than the cost of what my long-suffering spouse and I spend on dry cleaning every week. Behold the worst-kept secret in watchdom: the Seiko 5.

You heard it here first, people – Tudor has released a new version of the Tudor Black Bay in BLACK. That's right, the fan favorite that was originally released in red and then blue is now available in black.

We've already told you that Tudor is now a true manufacture, making its own movement completely in-house. They announced this caliber, the MT5621, in a brand new, hyper-technical-looking watch called the North Flag, introduced here. Well guess what – they didn't stop there. Also receiving the in-house caliber is an old favorite from a few years back, the super diver and still the only titanium watch in the family – the Pelagos. Oh, and now it's available in blue!

7. Introducing The Tudor North Flag, With Tudor's First In-House Movement

If the Tudor Watch Company had a modus operandi, it would be quality, style, and durability. From the very beginning, Tudor watches were built in a way that – in some respects – was superior to those from its big brother; they were rugged, functional, and bomb-proof. They did all this and kept prices at a reasonable level all by using Swiss-made calibers available through third-party vendors (in other words forgoing "in-house" calibers for the sake of economics). Today, for the very first time in Tudor's history, the Shield joins the Crown in offering a watch where what is inside is as impressive as what is outside, with its very first in-house, manufacture caliber. Oh, and it is housed in a brand new watch that takes Tudor into the true-tool-watch category. Say hello to the Tudor North Flag and the caliber MT5621.

Here at HODINKEE, we like watches. We like them a lot. And though we do sometimes write about watches that inhabit stratospheric price points, we also know that realistically speaking, there is not always an absolute connection between price and quality (actually a lot of the time there's a surprising disconnect, but that's another article). We know that getting as much bang as possible for the buck is a major pot-sweetener when it comes to picking a watch, and so we went 'round HODINKEE HQ and asked all and sundry to tap a favorite under the magic $5,000 mark. Read on to find out who picked what, and why.

A question we receive from readers all the time is, "I have around $5,000 to spend, and I want one watch I can wear every single day, and will last me the rest of my life – what do I buy?" There are plenty of good options, certainly, but not many great options. If we are talking about a product that will last a lifetime, we tend to think of blue-chip lines from Omega, JLC, IWC, and certainly, Rolex. Today at Baselworld, Rolex showed us a brand new watch that we think might become a stock answer for the question above – a new Oyster Perpetual, now in 39 mm, and retailing for $5,700.

The name Tony Fadell doesn't ring as loud as some others when discussing kings of Silicon Valley – Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg – but to those who know, Tony Fadell is already an icon of engineering, entrepreneurship, and product design. It was Fadell who, in the 1990s, worked diligently to build the concept of hand-held computing devices while working for General Magic. His software would power Sony's early Magic Link device, and he played a large role in Philips Electronics' Palm Pilot competitors. But by the late '90s, he was sure he wanted to go out on his own, founding Fuse Systems and pitching the idea of a portable music player to a handful technology companies (and even a watch company!), all unsuccessfully. In 2001, he abandoned the idea of a startup and joined Apple to work closely on a product that would come to define the 21st century – the iPod.

2. Inside The Manufacture: Going Where Few Have Gone Before – Inside All Four Rolex Manufacturing Facilities

I will begin this detailed article with a wholly unsurprising admission. I love Rolex. I own more of them than any other watch from any other manufacture, and I have always believed its contribution to watchmaking is beyond measure. But, I have another admission. Of the handful of Rolex watches I own, the youngest dates to 1976 – making it, in fact, older than I am.

It's every watch collector's dream: to find a super-rare and valuable watch for sale for almost nothing at a thrift shop, estate/garage/car boot sale or flea market. For Zach Norris, the dream became a reality recently when he walked into a Phoenix, Arizona Goodwill store looking for a used push-pull golf cart only, to stop by and dig through the store's watch basket on his way out. Inside the basket filled with Fossil watches with dead batteries (most priced around $15 according to Zach) was a watch, face down, that caught his interest. The dial said "LeCoultre Deep Sea Alarm." The price? $5.99.